Yesterday morning we woke up to negative temperatures -- 3 below zero!
Then last night it snowed and is in fact snowing now on Christmas Eve morning. It's "warmer" today -- 15º when we got up and all the way up to 20º now, at 9 am.
Yesterday I was browsing through an older (2010) Victoria magazine -- one of their "Holiday Bliss" compilations. I read the following:
"There is a special kind of contentment in watching the world go by from the coziness of our own space, as the snow falls and the wind whistles just beyond the windowpane."
And it's true! I've experienced that so many times and noticed it again yesterday. We don't have a fireplace, but a wonderful soapstone wood stove in our kitchen kept things so cozy that, whenever I stepped out onto the screened porch to gather cookies or fudge for a gift plate, the bitter cold was an outright shock.
The Victoria writer went on to describe moments outdoors during a light snowfall:
"Letting the snow land gently on your nose and hair, breathing in the cold air, and relishing the stark landscape are singular pleasures of a frosty winter's day. The promise of your home, glowing from the inside with light and warmth, makes a chilly afternoon stroll even more meaningful."
Again, very true. If I were to step outside right now, the first sentence describes exactly what I would be experiencing.
Yet I couldn't help but think a little more deeply about this. Cold and snow and whistling winds are all very well when you can step back into your nice warm home.
But what if your home was washed away? What if your only shelter is a tent? What if your loved ones are not only missing from your Christmas table, but ... missing altogether? It's cold here in New Hampshire, but ...
A recent Instagram post by Heather Mills Schwartzen -- @to_sow_a_seed on Instagram -- reminded me that That's her graphic you see above. You can read her post here: Cold as All Get Out.
Heather wrote:
"You haven’t forgotten, have you? The shocking images of homes swept into raging waters, the pleas of family members searching for loved ones? They’re no longer in your news feed but friends, Appalachia is still recovering from Hurricane Helene."
"Families are still displaced.
People are still missing.
Areas are still largely unreachable.
Cleanup is ongoing."
"We covet your prayers. There is much still to be done, three months on. Appalachia is strong and resilient and full of resourceful people. Pray for safety, provision, and that all this hurt will ignite a deeper desire to know and serve the Lord. He will be glorified!"
She goes on to describe efforts to help, and I will share some of the post below:
After reading this, Mr. T and I were moved to donate to Samaritan's Purse and their rebuilding efforts in North Carolina and Tennessee.
We then followed the link to Heather's Amazon list and went shopping. We had a limited amount to spend, but it went far enough to get a warm sleeping bag, a child's jacket, four pairs of kids' gloves and a set of twelve hats. We will check back next month and shop again as I'm pretty sure there will still be needs.
And we have added the folks affected, and those working to help them, to our everyday prayer lists. As Heather mentioned, prayer is our most powerful weapon in all times, but especially now.
Won't you do the same?
